Minor Surgeries

It’s quite common for the upper or lower lid to become swollen due to the formation of a meibomian cyst (also called a chalazion).

Meibomian cysts vary in size, from just visible to the size of a grape. They usually take weeks to develop. They’re not particularly painful, but will become red and painful if infected. Usually, these cysts come and go by themselves. If not seek the help of an eye specialist for advice, and most probably you will be prescribed some antibiotic ointment to avoid the cyst from becoming infected.

Speak to an eye specialist if you have a large cyst that doesn’t clear up after a couple of months. You can have it surgically drained. This is a simple procedure carried out under local anaesthetic (your eye area will be numbed). It takes just five minutes and doesn’t leave a scar.

Meibomian cysts aren’t the same as styes. Styes are minor infections of the base of an eyelash and nearly always clear up on their own. In rare cases, styes can cause a lid infection (the lid will be red, hot and painful) and antibiotics will be needed.

Meibomian cysts and styes aren’t caused by poor personal hygiene. They are, however, related to blepharitis, which is inflammation of the edge of the lid that causes oily tears (see gritty, itchy or flaky eyelids below).

Other causes of lid swelling are rare. These include an allergic reaction, shingles on the face and eye (usually with a rash), and other rare eye problems, which would cause other symptoms such as loss of vision.

Pterygium is a conjunctival growth spreading onto the cornea. In most cases both eyes affected.

Causes and risk factors

The root cause is not exactly known, but the disease is more common among people who spend a significant portion of their time outdoors, exposing themselves to the UV radiation of the sun. Long term exposure to sunny, dusty, sandy, and windy areas is a risk factor, so it occurs more frequently to agricultural workers, fishermen and people living near the equator and light skinned people. It is very rare among children.

Symptoms

The main symptom of pterygium is the painless, hyper-vascularised, full-blooded conjunctival thickening, along with occasional inflammation, accompanied with burning, and irritating sensation.

Diagnosis

Physical examination of the eyes and eyelids determine the diagnosis, special tests are usually not necessary.

Treatment

While the pterygium causes no symptoms, it threatens the vision by growing towards the center of the cornea, however, it does not necessarily require treatment. Surgical removal is possible. By preventing extreme environmental effects and treating dry eyes we can avoid the recurrence of symptoms.

Side effects

A small-scale pterygium usually causes no complaints and no treatment is required. However if surgery is needed, then the surgery is usually performed under local anaesthetic as day surgery. The pterygium is removed carefully off the surface of the eye. If this is all that is done, the pterygium regrows frequently. 

The technique with the lowest recurrence rate uses a graft of conjunctiva from under the eyelid. This is placed over the defect remaining from the removed pterygium. The graft can be stitched in place, which is time consuming, and slightly painful for the patient afterwards. 

Pain medication is then prescribed post-operatively.

Prevention

Avoiding exposure from ultraviolet rays can prevent the formation.

Post-surgery treatment

If the pterygium is removed by a surgical procedure it is required to use eye drops for about 10 days after surgery. The eyes may be red for the first 15 days, which usually disappear gradually after a month.